Monthly Livestream #42!

Thanks for tuning in to yesterday's livestream! Here's the recording.

I started off with a few tunes: "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing", by Billy Strayhorn, and "Falling Grace", by Steve Swallow. (The profile camera froze for a about a minute on this tune, but it comes back, sorry about that!)

Then I gave a quick plug - while I was on the road earlier this month I brought a portable 88-key keyboard with me and loved it! It folds in half, weighs about 10 lbs, is a MIDI controller, and you can take it as a carry-on on a flight! It really helped me out last month, and I highly recommend it to any pianists out there! (This is not sponsored content I really just loved this thing and felt that I should let you all know!) So here it is: https://a.co/d/fYpm7RW

Then went into some questions - first was one about different approaches to playing a blues, and which sorts of scales are "available". This led to a discussion of dominant chords in general, and their unique usage in the blues.

Then a question about accents, and a discussion of the important relationship between rhythm and dynamics at the piano.

And finally a question about over one chord for a long time - a very important skill, and often hard for pianists! To do this, of course you have to know your scales really well. And I recommended this exercise, particularly for the more advanced pianists (like the one who  asked this question thank you Umi!) My favorite exercise - from Clare Fischer But beyond that, you have to think about things "other than notes" - phrase length, dynamics, elements of story telling - and I gave some strategies I like to use.

Ok! Now I'm off to Colombia again tomorrow -for one show with Cecile McLorin Salvant - then back to NY for a while. Thanks again for a great livestream, and see you all next month!

-Glenn